Student stir in Hong Kong gives China jitters

Student stir in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong gives China the jitters.

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Ananth Krishnan

October 2, 2014

ISSUE DATE: October 13, 2014

UPDATED: October 3, 2014 19:52 IST

Protesters block the main street to the central district in Hong Kong.

The elderly protester was walking away from the barricades, when a gloved arm gripped him. He found himself staring at a helmeted police officer, armed with a can of pepper spray. Before he could move, the policeman emptied the contents of the can right into his face, sending him tumbling back.

The image of the aged protester being sprayed down was, for many of Denise Ho's students, a turning point-when a small class boycott by the students of Hong Kong turned into something much larger.

On September 22, the students had gathered to protest against Beijing's August 31 announcement that dashed their hopes for true universal suffrage. Under China's plan, every Hong Konger will be able to cast their vote in 2017, but the nominated candidates will have to be pre-approved by Beijing.

"The announcement was the straw that broke the camel's back," Ho, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, whose students have been involved in the protests, told India Today.

Initially, a few dozen students and their teachers set up camp in Hong Kong's Central financial district. Hong Kong's pro-democracy groups had earlier planned their own, more ambitious protest for October 1, China's National Day, taking inspiration from the Occupy Wall Street movement to 'Occupy Central'. The students hoped, at most, to be a humble opening act to the more politically charged and well organised pro-democracy movement.

All that changed on the weekend of September 27-28. Unnerved by the swelling crowds, the Hong Kong government deployed riot police. Tear gas canisters were fired to disperse the students, used for the first time in Hong Kong since the World Trade Organization protests of 2005.

The police action galvanised the students. Their small-scale Saturday protest grew rapidly overnight. 'Occupy Central', which was planning for a grand launch, changed its plans, deciding to throw its weight behind the student movement instead.

"The younger generation gets the sense that we're facing a threat to Hong Kong's way of life," said Mirana May Szeto, a Hong Kong University professor and a prominent voice in civil society. "Hong Kong people... don't want the mainlandisation of Hong Kong. More and more people now believe that only a full democracy can protect our system."

China's ruling Communist Party now faces a difficult challenge to its authority in its 'Special Administrative Region (SAR)'. The use of force to defuse the protests will not only erode its credibility in Hong Kong, but also damage Beijing's plans for reconciliation with Taiwan.

"This whole new generation has a collective will, and a much greater sense of responsibility about the future than the previous generation," Szeto said. "They know what they want. And they are prepared for a long-term struggle."